Detroit, MI
Pastor draws strength from Detroit church’s proud history to lead
In 2025, Lawrence Rodgers celebrated his fifth anniversary as pastor of Second Baptist Church of Detroit. But when he serves his community, he draws strength from a nearly 190-year-old church history.
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It is true that Detroit is the only American city where four major sports franchises play home games in the downtown core area.
However, it is also true that within walking distance of Little Caesars Arena, Ford Field and Comerica Park — the homes of the Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Lions and Detroit Tigers respectively — sits a Detroit institution that has been intimately engaged in a type of service where success is not measured by championship banners, but instead by the number of lives that are saved and transformed.
And this nearly 190-year-old institution has often performed its best work during some of the most challenging historical periods known to mankind.
That institution, founded in 1836 by 13 formerly enslaved people, is historic Second Baptist Church of Detroit, which, since 1857, has occupied a stately space at 441 Monroe St. within the cultural, commercial and entertainment district known today as Greektown.
“I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘this church is why I am free’ because our church served as one of the last stations on the Underground Railroad. That’s heavy stuff and very humbling,” Second Baptist Church of Detroit Senior Pastor Lawrence Rodgers said about the oldest religious institution owned by Black people in the Midwest, which “claimed a mission” in 1836 “to free the enslaved and have them enjoy the full privileges of American citizenship.”
On Dec. 22, the 41-year-old Rodgers, who celebrated his fifth anniversary as the senior pastor at Second Baptist in 2025, provided some insight about how he finds inspiration to serve his congregation and the greater Detroit community.
Just as the players and coaches who participate in games played at the bustling sports venues near Second Baptist spend many hours studying past performances to get better, Rodgers says he finds strength by looking at photographs displayed within the church that reflect the significant history made by a host of special people. A tiny sampling includes: William C. Monroe, Second Baptist’s first pastor, who spearheaded the church’s involvement in the formation of two abolitionist societies — the Amherstburg Baptist Association and the Canadian Anti-Slavery Baptist Association. Second Baptist member and Sunday schoolteacher Fannie Richards, who became the first Black schoolteacher in a Detroit public school in 1868 and later taught an integrated class at Everett Elementary School beginning in 1871, the year the Michigan Supreme Court ordered Detroit to abolish segregated schools; and Robert Bradby, Second Baptist’s pastor from 1910 to 1946, who leveraged his relationship with Henry Ford to link hundreds of Black people to jobs at the Ford Motor Co. during the Great Migration.
The passionate tone in Rodgers’ voice when he provided an impromptu history lesson about Second Baptist provides a glimpse of the energy his congregation experiences when Rodgers delivers a sermon. But Rodgers says the history that he loves to share means little if it is not acted upon today.
“I never want people to think that this church is only a museum,” stated Rodgers, a native of eastern North Carolina, who says he did not dive into Second Baptist’s history until he responded to a “call from the Lord” while serving as a pastor in Baltimore and searched the internet for national pastor openings, which led to him being selected by Second Baptist out of 200 applicants. “This history is not just about what we have done, it’s also about who we are right now. My predecessors improved the conditions of our people during the institution of slavery, the Great Depression, World Wars, the Civil Rights Movement, the Detroit Rebellion of 1967 and other challenging periods in our history. They offered us a way to survive and even thrive. And that is a tradition that we need to apply today.”
After immersing himself in Second Baptist’s history, Rodgers came to Detroit in 2020 full of enthusiasm and a desire to continue the church’s tradition of serving humanity as the 24th senior pastor to lead Second Baptist Church of Detroit. Nonetheless, despite having the best intentions, Rodgers faced a challenge that no other Second Baptist pastor before him had to navigate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visits to the homes of church members and other extended in-person interactions were not possible when “everything was on lockdown” and “everyone was afraid.” But as time went on, with help from connections Rodgers made through the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity, and his own exploration across the city for basic essentials, Rodgers says he witnessed and felt a spirit that allowed him to appreciate Detroit in a different way.
“I can’t tell you exactly when it happened, but, at some point around the middle of my second year here, I called my mother and I said, ‘Detroit is like down home, up North,’ ” recalled Rodgers, who earned a master’s degree in divinity in 2017 from Howard University, where he graduated at the top of his class, while receiving numerous awards in the process. “Around the same time, I found a Detroit barber and a Detroit tailor and bought a pair of Detroit-style glasses. One of our members saw me afterwards and he said: ‘Now you look like one of us.’ But more than the member’s words, there was a sense of community and warmth that I felt — like Southern hospitality — that you don’t see or feel in a lot of places that have these temperatures.”
Powered by the “spirit of Detroit” that Rodgers described, he and the Second Baptist congregation have aggressively addressed challenges that continue to plague Detroit and our nation, including the opioid crisis; food insecurity connected to families and the unhoused, and human trafficking. And while helping Detroiters “survive,” Second Baptist is also committed to providing resources that enable Detroiters to “thrive,” such as resources and programs focused on financial and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education.
Rodgers says that with each historical tour, training session and seminar provided at his church, along with direct outreach into the community performed by Second Baptist members, including providing food and other necessities to unhoused Detroiters, a message is sent that is felt well beyond the city.
“There was a time when the world looked to Detroit because of the automotive industry, but today the world is looking to Detroit to see how we are responding to challenges faced by our entire nation,” said Rodgers, who also has shared his concerns and ideas for helping Detroiters with the nonprofit Greektown Neighborhoods Partnership, which is leading the ongoing initiative to transform the Greektown district into a pedestrian-friendly destination. “The world wants to know how we are going to ensure that all people are served. Going into 2026, I’m so excited to be in Detroit at this time and I look forward to building on the relationships and partnerships that we have established at Second Baptist such as our partnership with the DTE Energy Foundation, which will allow us to expand our youth STEAM program and continue our mission to empower the next generation.
“I’m also extremely excited to be living in a time when Detroit’s first woman mayor is about to take office and I’m praying for Mayor Sheffield and all of our new leaders. I believe all Detroiters need to look back and be inspired and gain hope from the challenges that we have overcome in the past. Ancestral memory is important, but we don’t want to just look back at the history, we want to live it, and in that way we can continue to repair and turn around our city for the benefit of all Detroiters.”
Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at stalley@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott’s stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber.
The Vancouver Canucks are set for game two of their season-long six-game road trip. They will face the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night for the second and final time this season.
Brock Boeser picked up a pair of assists in Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, while the Canucks’ three goals came from Liam Öhgren, Jake DeBrusk, and Elias Pettersson.
Filip Hronek also had an assist in the game and played a team-high 26:20 of ice time. The 28-year-old, who will represent his home country of Czechia at this year’s Olympics, has been strong at both ends of the ice this season and holds a 59.7% control of the goal share at five-on-five this season. He has been on the ice for 34 goals scored and 23 goals against.
DeBrusk had a hat trick and four points in the game the last time these two teams met in Detroit.
Pettersson has five goals and 18 points in his 12 games against the Red Wings. He has four three-point games against them in his career and has three goals and 10 points in his six games in Detroit.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Red Wings come into Thursday’s game with an 8-3-1 record in their last 12 games.
- They picked up a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators in their most recent outing.
- Detroit is sitting pretty with a 25-15-4 record, and are second in the Atlantic Division.
- On home ice, they posted a 14-8-1 record this season and have an 8-0-1 record in one-goal games on home ice.
- Lucas Raymond (45 points) and Alex DeBrincat (43 points) lead the offence. DeBrincat is tied with Dylan Larkin for the team lead with 22 goals this season.
- DeBrincat has scored 10 power play goals this season, and the Red Wings’ power play is tied for sixth in the league with its 24.6% conversion rate.
- Moritz Seider leads the way on the backend. He is averaging 25:12 of ice time per game and has 31 points in 44 games.
- John Gibson has made 25 starts this season, while Cam Talbot has 19 of his own. Gibson has a 14-9-1 record while Talbot is 11-6-3.
The Story: Power Plays
Rookie defenceman Tom Willander has been getting a run on the first power play unit over the past few games. The Canucks’ 2023 first-round pick is up to two goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 32 games this season.
The Canucks have picked up four power play goals in their last three games.
Jake DeBrusk leads the team with 10, and Kiefer Sherwood sits second on the squad with six.
The team ranks 13th on the power play this season. They have scored on 20.4% of their opportunities with the man advantage.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Elias Pettersson: 3g-1a-4p
Jake DeBrusk: 2g-2a-4p
Linus Karlsson: 2g-2a-4p
Filip Hronek: 1g-3a-4p
Tom Willander: 1g-2a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Thursday’s game is at 4:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
Murder and two related charges have been filed against a Detroit man in the aftermath of an altercation that left one man dead and his brother seriously injured.
Michael Alan Harris, 42, of Detroit was arraigned Tuesday in 36th District Court of Detroit on charges of first-degree murder, felony firearm and resisting and obstructing a police officer, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.
The charges are related to the fatal shooting of Jalen Coats Stevens, 28, of Detroit, Worthy said. Stevens was pronounced dead at the scene of an altercation early Sunday in the 15900 block of Grand River Avenue.
During the altercation, Stevens’ brother, Glenn, was stabbed over a dozen times but survived. He has been in the hospital since. Hundreds of people gathered for a vigil hosted by the Stevens family Tuesday night outside of Chita’s Nefertiti bar. The brothers were celebrating a work promotion for Jalen Saturday night before the altercation erupted.
While it was known by Tuesday night that one person was in custody, the family asked the public and police to continue working on the investigation, as the person who had stabbed Glenn had not been located.
In the meantime, Harris is scheduled for a probable cause conference Jan. 14, and a preliminary exam is set for Jan. 21.
The above video originally aired Jan. 6.
Blough is only two years into his coaching career after retiring from playing after the 2023 season. He has spent the last two seasons as the Washington Commanders’ assistant quarterbacks coach, helping young quarterback Jayden Daniels emerge as a strong franchise player for Washington. Late in the 2025 season, Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard took the Stanford head coaching job, leaving Blough to serve as the interim quarterbacks coach for the rest of the season.
While backing up Jared Goff in Detroit, Blough was often described by the coaching staff as an excellent backup and strong offensive mind.
“I love the kid, if I’m being totally honest with you,” Campbell said back in 2021. “He’s just a little football player. And when I say that, I mean that in the highest regard. Look, he’s smart. He’s extremely smart. He knows where to go with the football, I love his timing. He knows how to command the huddle, he communicates well and on top of that, he’s a hell of a dude, by the way. He just is. So, he has not disappointed. He’s doing a good job. He’s out there competing with the rest of those guys.”
As of now, this is the only known candidate for the Lions’ offensive coordinator position, but it’s still early in the process. When more candidates emerge, we’ll have a tracker so you can see all of the names in one place.
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